Process for the manufacture of cellulose solutions.



E sta wILHnLn TR'AUBE, or anemia, snare;

PROCESS IFQR THE MANUFACTURE OI GELLULGSTE SELUEIQNQ.

No Drawing.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WVILHELM TRAUBE, professor, chemist, a subject of Prussia, residing at Berlin, \V., Germany, have invented a new and useful Process for the Manufacture of Cellulose Solutions; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same.

' It has long been known that both aqueous ammonia and the aqueous solutions of primary amins are able to dissolve certain quantities, although relatively small ones, of cupric hydroxids but now the surprising and unforeseen fact has been discovered that both the aqueous and the alcoholic solutions of the alkylene diamins, forexample of ethylene diamin, are able to absorb extremely large quantities of Cu(OH) While for dissolving one molecular weight of Cu(OH) even when highly concentrated ammonia or amin solutions are employed, a very large number of molecular weights of ammonia or aniin are necessary, in dilute aqueous ethylene diamin solutions of more than 5% concentration one molecular weight of Cu(() H) isdissolvedby only a single molecular weight of ethylene diainin whereby the ethylene diamin solution is sharply differentiated from the ammonia solution of ethylene diamin in the cupric oxid ethylene diamin solution need only be very small. Even a 2 to 3% ethylene tliamin solution saturated with Cu(OH) absorbs cellulose and when a 5",, solution of ethvlene diamin saturated with Cu(()ll) is used, cellulose solutions presenting a high degree of viscosity are obtained very.

' speedily. For the purpose of precipitating the cellulose from such a solution it is of course only mzcessary to use a quantity of acid which is fractionally smaller than that Specification of Letters ?atent.

Application filed January 23, 1912. Serial No. 372,939.

required for precipitating the cellulose from Schweizers solution and this, exerts an im. portant influence on the quality of the celluloseprecipitated. a It. should beiioted that the present invention is not in any way anticipated by a,

prior process of which I am aware which is merely a process for obtainin cellulose so lutions with the assistance 0 methylamim;

it being stated that the methylamin might also be replaced by other alkylaminsr Now 1 the diamins do not in any way belong to the alkylamin class, as is shown by the fact that in all text books oforganie chemistry 'ethylene diamin, for example, is treated in quite a different place from the alkylamins, as belonging to the alkylene diamin class. As

regards the manufacture of cellulose solu; tions, the above mentionedprior process differs from the invention here described in principle owing to the fact that by means of the said process only cellulose solutions of high alkaline concentration can be ob amin solution is prescribed. It was not previously known, however, that it is pos-- sible by means of the cup'ric oxid ethylene diamin solution to obtain cellulose solutions in which. the alkaline concentration is relatively very small which is not the case when employing the primary niono alkylamins or ammonia.

Example: A solution of ethylene diamin hydrate of approximately 5% concentra-- tion is mixed with cupric hydroxid to the point of saturation or somewhat below complete saturation, and cellulose of any origin or cellulose which has previously been subjected to memorization, hydration or oxidation is iutroduceth into the resultant clear solution in which it at once dissolves. In this process the" *thylene diamin may be replaced by other diamins. It is also possible to use other diainiiis of the aliphatic series such as trimethylenc diamin, tetramethylone dlan'un and so forthr Herein the generic expr tksion cellulose.

material is considered to include and to be the equivalent of celluloseand its closely allied conversion products,

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature ol my said invention .75 tained as the employment of a 33% methyland in What mamier the some is to be per- I name to this specification in the presence of formed I, declare that What. I claim is two subscribing witnesses.

A process for obtaining cellulose solutions,

characterized by the fact that cellulose ma,-

5 terial is treated with solutions of cupric hydroxid in solutions of aliphatic (liamins.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my WILHELM TRAUBE.

\Vitnesses V WOLDEMAR I'lAUIT, 111mm llAsFER. 

